Organic Chemistry Commons^™

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Tetrahydroprotoberberines As Dopamine Receptor Ligands, Satishkumar V. Gadhiya

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dopamine (DA) receptors belong to the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) family, divided in to two groups based on their high homology transmembrane domains; D1-like DA receptors (D1, D5) and D2-like DA receptors (D2-D4). DA receptor specific ligands have been exploited as a means for studying the prognosis and curing several CNS disorders. Though several efforts have been devoted to discover selective and potent DA receptor ligands, complete selectivity within the DA receptor subtypes remains a challenge.

Tetrahydroprotoberberines (THPBs) are a group of naturally occurring tetracyclic alkaloids that belong to the tetrahydroisoquinoline family. A wide range of biological activities are associated …

Stereospecific Electrophilic Fluorination Of Alkylcarbastannatrane Reagents, Xinghua Ma

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The introduction of fluorine atoms into organic molecules significantly changes their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Fluorinated organic compounds are used as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, materials, and tracers for positron emission tomography (PET). For example, the site-specific fluorination of drugs can block sites of phase I metabolism by cytochrome P450 enzymes as well as improve target-binding affinities. In view of the unique features of fluorine-containing compounds, there has been increasing interest in the development of novel methods for the synthesis of fluorinated molecules, especially the site-specific monofluorination of complex molecules. Herein, we present the enantiospecific conversion of chiral secondary alkylcarbastannatranes into …

The Quantification Of Cocaine From The Erythroxylum Coca Plant And The Comparison On High Performance Liquid Chromatography And Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy As An Analytical Method., Tuesday James

Student Theses

Cocaine is derived from the Erythroxylum coca plant, is a highly addictive stimulant abused all over the world. There are two types of Erythroxylum coca plants that produce cocaine; the E. Coca and E. Novogranatense. Cocaine exists as the salt, and the freebase which is typically referred to as “crack” due to the crackling sound it makes when heated. It is popular because it is inexpensive and easily available on the streets, mainly in poor urban areas. The purpose of this project was to determine the amount of cocaine that can be extracted from E.coca and to assess which analytical …

From The Making To The Tuning To The Use Of Chlorins For Biomedical Applications, Junior Gonzales

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chlorins are porphyrins missing a double bond. These pigments are optimal platforms for the development of novel dyes that display drug-like attributes such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents. More recently, it was demonstrated that chlorins can serve both as a PDT agent and as a modality for fluorescence or PET imaging. Thus, multifunctional chlorins eliminate the differences that may occur in specificity, uptake, and distribution between separate compounds or constructs for imaging and therapy. The overall goal of this dissertation is to take advantage of the reputed intrinsic attributes of chlorins as a viable tool in biomedical applications. In this …

The Modified Stereospecific Stille Reaction: Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions Involving Secondary And Tertiary Alkyl Carbastannatranes, Chao-Yuan Wang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Organic chemistry is present in all domains of everyday life, from polymer production to medicine. In order to synthesize complex compounds, it is often necessary to make new carbon-carbon bonds. Transition metal catalysts, particularly those derived from second and third row metals such as Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ir metals, display remarkable efficiency for the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. In the first chapter, introduction of transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions is given. While the formation of C(sp²)–C(sp²) bonds has been studied extensively, C(sp³)-C(sp²) bond formation still presents a challenge due to …

Olfactory Receptor Antagonism In The Or-I7 Aldehyde Receptor And The Mammalian Olfactory System, Min Ting Liu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The detection of smell is initiated when an odorant binds and activates olfactory receptors (ORs) within the nose. Chapter 1 studies the structural requirements for activation of the OR-I7 aldehyde receptor. Octanal is an agonist of the OR-I7 receptor. 4-Ethylcyclohexylacetaldehyde (1.1), with a cyclohexyl ring that locks the C4-C5 bond of octanal in the gauche conformation, was previously found to have higher potency than octanal, suggesting that the OR-I7 receptor prefers the gauche conformation of octanal during activation. However, 1.1 had only been previously tested as a mixture of cis- and trans-isomers, and therefore, it was …

A Computational Study Of Lithium Carbamate Synthetic Intermediate Structures And Aggregation, Lawrence M. Pratt

Publications and Research

Computational quantum chemistry was used to investigate the structures of lithium carbamates in the gas phase and in ethereal solvents. These compounds act as nucleophiles with either inversion or retention of configuration at the chiral center and knowledge of the aggregation state is the first step in understanding the reactivity. The sterically hindered lithium phenyl carbamate is calculated to exist largely as the ether or THF solvated monomer in solution. Higher aggregates are possible in the gas phase, which is often taken as an approximation for solutions in non-polar solvents.

Photodynamic Killing Of Human Cancer Cells With Smart Photosensitizer Materials And An Endoscopic Implement For Singlet Oxygen Delivery, Mihaela N. Minnis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The thesis describes progress on probe tips for a microoptic device for the precise delivery of the components necessary for photodynamic therapy (PDT) in a highly localized and controllable fashion. The thesis also summarizes results of a photosensitized oxidation study. The work focused on i) developing a photoactive fluoropolymer surface that will release sensitizer drug molecule for use in PDT, ii) designing new probe tips surfaces for use as sensitizer support for a microoptic PDT device, iii) exploring strategies for covalent attachment of sensitizers and model compounds to Teflon/PVA surfaces with the aim of being coupled with our microoptic device, …

I. Synthesis Of Diverse Structures From Quinone Monoketal And Quinone Imine Ketal With Efficiency And Control Ii. Synthetic Study Of Phalarine, Zhiwei Yin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Quinonoids are quinone derivatives that have carbonyl or carbonyl equivalent and even number of double bonds embedded in six member rings. As a result of the intrinsic α,β-unsaturated ketone or imine structures, quinonoids, such as quinone monoketals, quinols, quinol ethers and quinone imine ketals, can accommodate a wide range of reactions including 1,2-additon, 1,4-addtion, SN2’ reaction (allylic substitution) to the α-carbon of the carbonyl or imine and cycloaddition reactions (e.g. Diels-Alder reaction). Quinonoids are effective building blocks for synthesizing heterocycles, which are ubiquitous in pharmaceutically useful agents. Developing new quinonoid based methodologies is essential to expanding the boundary of synthetic …

Photooxidation Chemistry And Photodynamic Therapy: Pointsource Delivery Of Singlet Oxygen, Sensitizer And Nitrosamine Drugs, Ashwini Anil Ghogare

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Eradication of residual tumor cells that are directly adjacent to vital tissue is a daunting challenge to surgeons. Because the field needs advances in intraoperative settings and a means for high-precision delivery of singlet oxygen for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancers, this dissertation outlines the development and application of a “pointsource” fiber optic device. The device offers highly localized and simultaneous delivery of sensitizer drug, light, and oxygen (components necessary for PDT) for cancer cell eradication in-vitro and in-vivo. The following chapters describe (a) the photokilling activity and precision of pointsource PDT in monolayer ovarian and brain cancer cells …

The Synthesis Of Angucyclines Using An Intramolecular Bradsher Cycloaddition, Abdullah Allaoa, Tony E. Nicolas

Publications and Research

The Angucyclines are natural products which possess a broad spectrum of biological properties. Of particular interest are the natural products which contain the cis-hydroxyl motif at the AB ring junction. Their synthesis is particularly challenging. Our model study has resulted in the synthesis of a model of the angucyclines with the required cis-hydroxyl features. The present work will apply the previously developed chemistry to an intramolecular version which will lead to the synthesis of the ABC ring system

Synthesis Of Novel Aporphine-Inspired Neuroreceptor Ligands, Nirav R. Kapadia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Aporphines are a group of tetracyclic alkaloids that belong to the ubiquitous tetrahydroisoquinoline family. The aporphine template is known to be associated with a range of biological activities. Aporphines have been explored as antioxidants, anti-tuberculosis, antimicrobial and anticancer agents. Within the Central Nervous Systems (CNS), aporphine alkaloids are known to possess high affinity for several clinically valuable targets including dopamine receptors (predominantly D₁ and D₂), serotonin receptors (5-HT_1A and 5-HT₇) and α adrenergic receptors. Aporphines are also inhibitors of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme – a clinical target for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Considering the …

Ultrafast Spectroscopy And Energy Transfer In An Organic/Inorganic Composite Of Zinc Oxide And Graphite Oxide, Jeff A. Secor

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The energy transfers and nature of defect levels of an organic/inorganic composite of Zinc Oxide and Graphite are studied with multidimensional spectroscopy. The edge and surface states of each composite are uncovered using excitation emission experiments showing which defect states are mediating the energy transfer from the metal oxide to the graphite oxide. Multidimensional time resolved spectroscopy further describes the effect of the carbon phase on the energy transfer pathways in the material.

Quantitative Model For Rationalizing Solvent Effect In Noncovalent Ch-Aryl Interactions, Bright C. Emenike, Sara N. Bey, Brianna C. Bigelow, Srinivas V.S. Chakravartula

Publications and Research

The strength of CH–aryl interactions (ΔG) in 14 solvents was determined via the conformational analysis of a molecular torsion balance. The molecular balance adopted folded and unfolded conformers in which the ratio of the conformers in solution provided a quantitative measure of ΔG as a function of solvation. While a single empirical solvent parameter based on solvent polarity failed to explain solvent effect in the molecular balance, it is shown that these ΔG values can be correlated through a multiparameter linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) using the equation introduced by Kamlet and Taft. The resulting LSER …

Adsorption Of Antibiotics By Vermiculite, Mosa J. Ferdous

Dissertations and Theses

The occurrence of residual antibiotics in the environment has been a worldwide issue and warrants the development of inexpensive yet effective methods for antibiotics removal from contaminated water. In this thesis work, the adsorption of four antibiotics, namely chlorotetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), ofloxacin (OFL), and enrofloxacin (ENR), onto natural vermiculite has been studied using batch (static) and column (dynamic) adsorption techniques. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were initially used to explain the adsorption processes. The separation factor (RL) values derived from the Langmuir model and the 1/n values derived from Freundlich model in the present investigation were less than …

Accessing Medicinally-Relevant Scaffolds Via Organocatalyzed Cascade Reactions, Joshua Hadley Jones

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The field of asymmetric catalysis embodies the efforts of chemists to mimic the stereoselectivity routinely achieved by biological systems. Asymmetric organocatalysis, a sub-field of asymmetric catalysis, is broadly based on the catalytic activity of non-transition metal, small molecules that transmit chirality to substrates. This dissertation describes experimental work towards the construction of versatile, medicinally-relevant molecular scaffolds using chiral, diarylprolinol silyl ether organocatalysts. Specifically, these catalysts were used in 1-pot, iminium-enamine catalyzed cascade reactions to functionalize α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. A comprehensive review of iminium and enamine organocatalysis is provided, including its development towards iminium-enamine cascade reactions. This review provides background for the …

Studies Toward A General Synthesis Of Poly-Substituted Alpha-Hydroxytropolones, Christine Marie Meck

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chapter 1: This chapter gives a brief history of α-hydroxytropolones, how they were discovered and unique properties of these substrates. Included is a background on the bioactivity of these substrates in cellular targets such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, tumors and toxicity, as well as their ability to inhibit various metallo-based enzymes. Structure activity relationships studies are reviewed on important metalloenzymes HIV-Reverse Transcriptase (RT) and Inositol monophosphatase (IMPase). Finally the chapter finishes with a synthetic overview of α-hydroxytropolones including natural product targets such as puberulic acid, puberulonic acid, β-thujaplicinol, and β-hydroxytropolone.

Chapter 2: A brief review on β-hydroxy-γ-pyrone based oxidopyrylium cycloadditions …

Towards The Total Synthesis Of (+/-)-Gephyrotoxin 287c, Maciej E. Domaradzki

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Studies directed toward the total synthesis of (+/-)-Gephyrotoxin 287C are described herein. Even though the target alkaloid has been synthesized four times to date, it still presents an interesting synthetic challenge. Our ultimate goal is to develop an efficient enantioselective synthetic route utilizing oxazolone chemistry in order to demonstrate its utility as a dienophilic component in intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions. This is part of a greater ongoing study aimed at a range of suitable alkaloid targets.

Chapter 1 provides introduction to frog toxins as secondary metabolites and subsequently shifts to the target alkaloid. (+/-)-Gephyrotoxin 287C was originally described by Daly and …

Synthesis Of Dinucleoside Acylphosphonites By Phosphonodiamidite Chemistry And Investigation Of Phosphorus Epimerization, William H. Hersh

Publications and Research

The reaction of the diamidite, (iPr2N)2PH, with acyl chlorides proceeds with the loss of HCl to give the corresponding acyl diamidites, RC(O)P(N(iPr)2)2 (R = Me (7), Ph (9)), without the intervention of sodium to give a phosphorus anion. The structure of 9 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The coupling of the diamidites 7 and 9 with 5′-O-DMTr-thymidine was carried out with N-methylimidazolium triflate as the activator to give the monoamidites 3′-O-(P(N(iPr)2)C(O)R)-5′-O-DMTr-thymidine, and further coupling with 3′-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)thymidine was carried out with activation by pyridinium trifluoroacetate/Nmethylimidazole. The new dinucleoside acylphosphonites could be further oxidized, hydrolyzed to the H-phosphonates, and sulfurized to …

Development Of Cell-Active Inhibitors And Activity-Based Probe Of Cysteine Cathepsins, Dibyendu Dana

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cysteine cathepsins are an important class of enzymes that coordinate a variety of important cellular processes, and are implicated in various types of human diseases. Still however, many of their cellular function remain poorly understood. Chemical biology approaches employing small molecules can be utilized for this purpose. Unfortunately small molecule probes that are cell-permeable and non-peptidyl in nature are scarcely available.

In this work, first a library of sulfonyloxiranes is synthesized. From this library, 2-(2-ethylphenylsulfonyl)oxirane is identified as a selective inhibitor of cysteine cathepsins. Cell-based study reveals that 2-(2-ethylphenylsulfonyl)oxirane is a cell-permeable, covalent, and irreversible inhibitor of cathepsin B with …

Synthesis Of Biologically Important C-Glycosides From Simple C-Glycosyl Alkenes, Ahmad Sabri Altiti

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

C-Glycosides are carbohydrate analogues in which the glycosidic oxygen is replaced with a methylene substituent. Because of their stability under acidic hydrolysis or enzymatic cleavage, they are widely used as mimetics of their parent O-glycosides in medicinal chemistry. This thesis describes the development of new synthetic methods for C-glycosides, which center on the use of readily available, simple C-allyl glycosides as precursors. C- glycosides of three structurally distinct and pharmacologically interesting carbohydrates, the immunostimulatory glycolipid C-KRN700, the insulin mimetic glycoinositol β-galactosamine-(1→4)-3-O-methyl-D-chiro-inositiol (INS-2), and α-mannose-(1→6)-D-myo-inositiol, a subunit of the cell wall in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, will be used as test cases for …

Oxocarbenium Ion And Alkene Metathesis Strategies For The Synthesis Of Complex Cyclohexanes, Clayton Errol Mattis

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Highly oxygenated cyclohexanes comprise the structures of a number of pharmacologically interesting molecules, including potently bioactive natural products and carbapyranosides. The latter, which are unnatural analogues of carbohydrates in which the ring oxygen of the parent sugar is replaced with a methylene group, have attracted interest as hydrolytically stable mimetics of their parent O-glycosides. This research reports the development of two general methodologies for the synthesis of highly oxygenated cyclohexanes: (1) Oxocarbenium Ion Cyclization (OCC) and (2) Ring Closing Metathasis (RCM).

Chapter one gives a review of the literature on the synthesis for highly oxygenated cyclohexanes.

Previous results from this …

Carbon And Nitrogen Dynamics From Slow Pools Of Soil Organic Matter In A Temperate Forest: Pyrogenic Organic Matter And And Root Litter, Fernanda Dos Santos

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the dominant reservoir of organic carbon (OC) in terrestrial ecosystems, storing approximately three times the size of the C pool in the atmosphere. In temperate forests, a major fraction of the SOM consists of slowly decaying soil organic C (SOC) pools. While slowly cycling C pools constitute a large reservoir of stable C in soils, the dominant environmental factors controlling this C pool remain unresolved. This research investigates two significant, but poorly characterized slowly decaying C pools: fine root litter (< 2mm) and thermally altered plant biomass (pyrogenic organic matter, PyOM). Specifically, I used compound-specific stable isotope analysis (¹³C and ¹⁵N) as my main methodological approach to examine the (1) …

Facile Synthesis Of 1-Alkoxy-1h-Benzo- And 7-Azabenzotriazoles From Peptide Coupling Agents, Mechanistic Studies, And Synthetic Applications, Mahesh K. Lakshman, Manish K. Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Raghu Ram Chamala, Vijayender R. Yedulla, Domenick Wagner, Evan Leung, Lijia Yang, Asha Matin, Sadia Ahmad

Publications and Research

(1H-Benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-1-yloxy)tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP), 1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-1-yl 4-methylbenzenesulfonate (Bt-OTs), and 3H-[1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-b]pyridine-3-yl 4-methylbenzenesulfonate (At-OTs) are classically utilized in peptide synthesis for amide-bond formation. However, a previously undescribed reaction of these compounds with alcohols in the presence of a base, leads to 1-alkoxy-1H-benzo- (Bt-OR) and 7-azabenzotriazoles (At-OR). Although BOP undergoes reactions with alcohols to furnish 1-alkoxy-1H-benzotriazoles, Bt-OTs proved to be superior. Both, primary and secondary alcohols undergo reaction under generally mild reaction conditions. Correspondingly, 1-alkoxy-1H-7-azabenzotriazoles were synthesized from At-OTs. Mechanistically, there are three pathways by which these peptide-coupling agents can react with alcohols. From 31P{1H}, [18O]-labeling, and other chemical experiments, phosphonium and tosylate derivatives of …

Synergism Between Airborne Singlet Oxygen And A Trisubstituted Olefin Sulfonate For The Inactivation Of Bacteria, Rajib Choudhury, Alexander Greer

Publications and Research

The reactivity of a trisubstituted alkene surfactant (8-methylnon-7-ene-1 sulfonate, 1) to airborne singlet oxygen in a solution containing E. coli was examined. Surfactant 1 was prepared by a Strecker-type reaction of 9-bromo-2-methylnon-2-ene with sodium sulfite. Submicellar concentrations of 1 were used that reacted with singlet oxygen by an “ene” reaction to yield two hydroperoxides (7-hydroperoxy-8-methylnon-8-ene-1 sulfonate and (E)-8-hydroperoxy-8-methylnon-6-ene-1 sulfonate) in a 4:1 ratio. Exchanging the H₂O solution for D₂O where the lifetime of solution-phase singlet oxygen increases by 20-fold led to an ∼2-fold increase in the yield of hydroperoxides pointing to surface activity …

Intramolecular Nitrogen Delivery For The Synthesis Of C-Glycosphingolipids. Application To The C-Glycoside Of The Immunostimulant Krn7000, Ahmad Sabri Altiti, David R. Mootoo

Publications and Research

The key reaction in this approach to C-glycosphingolipids is the stereoselective iodocyclization of a sugar-linked homoallylic carbonimidothioate. E and Z reaction substrates were assembled in a convergent fashion via an alkene metathesis strategy and exhibited the same alkene facial selectivity in the iodocyclization irrespective of alkene geometry, although the E alkene was found to be less reactive.

Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions Involving Secondary And Tertiary Alkyl Nucleophiles, Amruta Ajit Joshi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the first chapter, introduction of transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions has been given. These transition metal-catalyzed C-C bond forming reactions have been used extensively in organic synthesis. Among them, C(sp2)-C(sp2) bond forming reactions have been widely studied over decades. More recently, some reports have demonstrated the use of C(sp3) nucleophiles and electrophiles in cross-coupling reactions. However, use of secondary and tertiary alkyl nucleophiles has remained a challenge due to competitive β-hydride elimination and slow transmetallation of bulky secondary and tertiary alkyl organometallic nucleophiles.

In the second chapter, the first general nickel-catalyzed Negishi reaction for the cross-coupling of unactivated, acyclic secondary …

Cyclic Phosphonium Ionic Liquids, Sharon I. Lall-Ramnarine, Joshua A. Mukhlall, James F. Wishart, Robert R. Engel, Alicia R. Romeo, Masao Gohdo, Sharon Ramati, Marc B. Berman, Sophia N. Suarez

Publications and Research

Ionic liquids (ILs) incorporating cyclic phosphonium cations are a novel category of materials. We report here on the synthesis and characterization of four new cyclic phosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ILs with aliphatic and aromatic pendant groups. In addition to the syntheses of these novel materials, we report on a comparison of their properties with their ammonium congeners. These exemplars are slightly less conductive and have slightly smaller self-diffusion coefficients than their cyclic ammonium congeners.

Biological Activity And Conformational Analysis Of Nikkomycins And Their Analogs, Eduardo Krainer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nikkomycins and polyoxins are peptidyl nucleoside antibiotics produced by Streptomyces species. They are potent inhibitors of chitin synthetases from pathogenic fungi, and polyoxins have been used in Japan for many years as agricultural fungicides and for insect control. Since chitin synthetase is not found in mammals and both families of antibiotics are not toxic, these inhibitors are potentially attractive for clinical use. Unfortunately these compounds seem to have only a fungistatic action, and they are not used clinically at present.

A procedure for efficiently obtaining nikkomycins X and Z of very high purity from crude antibiotic is described. These nikkomycins …